


Demon Partner

by Amaranthkick



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Demon!Akira, Demon!Shiho, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29660664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaranthkick/pseuds/Amaranthkick
Summary: In a world plagued by monsters called Shadows, people found a way to fight back by partnering with demons.Ryuji knew something might go wrong when it was his turn to summon a demon, with Kamoshida overseeing the summonings for his class. He just didn’t expect for an accidental summoning of a demon stronger than any he’s ever seen before.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Comments: 11
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Shadows are more akin to the enemies from Persona 3 and 4, while demons are like the Personas from 5 with a few exceptions.

The world was infested with monsters called Shadows. They said it started with an experiment gone wrong. There were researchers studying Shadows, strange creatures that rarely crossed over to our world from another. Usually their bodies were pitch black like their namesakes and often donned peculiar neutral-looking face masks. They had strange powers and of course, there were people who wanted to take advantage of that. An explosion happened in a facility dedicated to Shadow research and caused Shadows to freely roam our world.

The Shadows would attack anyone they come across and they were difficult for regular humans to fight against. Many casualties resulted just from trying to quell their numbers. 

Humans found a way to fight back by utilizing the aid of demons. Similar to Shadows they also dwelled in another world that was close to ours but couldn’t freely travel to and fro. Humans were desperate to survive and found a way to summon demons and if the demon acknowledges the strength of their will, they will form contracts with them. These partnerships allowed the humans access to magic similar to that demons use along with powerful allies. Those who could fight with these demons were dubbed Demon Partners.

* * *

Shujin Academy was a school that trained students to become fine Demon Partners.

It was the day for Ryuji’s class to summon demons and take that important first step towards fighting Shadows. The specialized room had a magic circle drawn on the floor to aid in summoning, and to act as a cage in case the demon attacks if negotiations didn’t work out. 

The circle on the floor in front of class had symbols to attract low level demons to prevent students from negotiating with demons that can overwhelm them. Things ended badly if a human tried to accept the power of a demon that was way stronger than their minds or bodies can withstand. The student had to stand at the edge of the circle, their presence key to attracting a compatible demon. It’s not an exact science, since it’s more magic than science. 

There were rare cases where a higher level demon could come through but that’s what all the machines laid out across the room were for, gauging the demon’s power in the case the demon was more of a threat than a potential partner. The other precaution was for at least one experienced Demon Partner to be present for the summonings.

Ryuji held in a grumble at their supervisor, Kamoshida, just cuz he was partnered with a supposed demon lord (a high ranking demon often associated with one of the seven sins), he acted all high and mighty. He acted like some king of the castle all around the school and not to mention he hated Ryuji.

He should have known something would go wrong when it was his turn for the summoning, with Kamoshida in charge of checking the magic circle between summonings. If he had paid more attention in class, he’d have noticed that one of the symbols on the magic circle (specific for attracting low level demons) was different from what it’s supposed to be.

Ryuji stood at the edge of the circle and breathed in deeply, then nodded for the staff to start.

He fell back and watched numbly as a huge burst of energy erupted from the magic circle. The machines in the room short-circuited one by one, causing staff to recoil away from them in surprise. The demons of the students that went before him were cowering and freaking out.

All at once the chaos stilled and all eyes focused on the figure standing in the center of the magic circle. The demon could have been mistaken for a student that was Ryuji’s age. But the power practically billowing out of him was no joke. Kamoshida and other Demon Partners managed to gather their wits and armed themself to try to surround him to keep him from getting away or push him back to his own world. The demon grinned sharply as he extended his arms outward with a flourish, his wings following suit and harsh gusts of winds threw everyone but Ryuji away and into the walls.

Bright red, slitted eyes turned to Ryuji as he said, “Wow, dramatic much?” And wow, of all the things to say to a strong-as-hell demon, he had to say that. If the demon decided to kill him on the spot, Ryuji wouldn’t even blame him.

But to everyone’s surprise the demon started laughing and started approaching Ryuji. His grin was softer, more amused than cocky and the suffocating aura around the demon lightened considerably. “You are quite an interesting human. Such a strong will of rebellion I sense in you. I’m willing to provide you with a fraction of my power.”

“Huh?” Ryuji looked blankly at him, unsure of what to do.

The demon tilted his head, confused. “I’m sure you were the one I sensed in this summoning. Are you not looking for a demon to ally with? I heard that is what humans are doing nowadays.”

Was this guy for real? He wanted to be Ryuji’s demon? This high level demon that Ryuji was sure was as strong if not stronger than a demon lord? He didn’t seem to be offended when Ryuji opened his mouth before and they did say ‘honesty is the way to go’ or something like that...

“Uh, dude... I think you’re way more than I can handle. Have you seen yourself?” Ryuji waved a hand to gesture appreciatively at him. The demon smirked and caught Ryuji’s hand leaning forward to press a kiss to the back of it. His smirk widening at the blush that spread across Ryuji’s face.

“How flattering~ No need to worry, I can keep most of my power to myself and give you only as much as you can handle. Humans can be greedy and that can be their downfall. But you understand not to bite off more than you can chew.” Ryuji yelped as he was pulled up to stand face to face with the demon. “Now, will you accept my power?”


	2. Chapter 2

Demon Partners gain access to a wide variety of power boosts from their demons as well as an ally in battle against Shadows. Demons can give some of their power to enhance their human’s body, making them faster, stronger than average humans. They could also use skills their demons have access to such as creating fire to burn Shadows or to call electricity to strike down their foes. These enhancements gained from their demons can be the difference between life and death against the never ending battle against Shadows.

* * *

After hearing the rumors of a powerful, never-before-seen demon summoning in front of Ryuji, said demon knocking senior Demon Partners around like toys and Ryuji foolishly forging a contract with it, Ann rushed over to hear his side of the story... or at least berate him for his recklessness. Her demon, Shiho, followed closely behind in concern. If a Demon Partner couldn’t handle their demon’s power, they risked being corrupted by that power, possibly turning into monsters themselves.

Of course officials tried to mitigate corruptions through various means like the strict and standardized ways of summoning a demon. However, it couldn’t prevent all corruptions from happening.

Ann pounced as she found her friend leaning on a desk on the roof of Shujin Academy with his demon. “Ryuji! What happened!? Do you hear what people are saying?”

Ryuji groaned, “Not you too… I already got an earful from Ms Kawakami.” 

He gestured to an empty desk so Ann and Shiho could get settled before introducing everyone, “Ann, Shiho this is Akira! Akira, this is Ann, we were classmates in middle school. And that’s her partner, Shiho!”

As Ryuji was excitedly telling the pair how this demon brushed aside even that pervert of a Demon Partner Kamoshida like paper, Ann was looking carefully at Akira. He seemed to radiate confidence and enjoyed making remarks that caused Ryuji to stutter and blush in embarrassment like reminding him of his first words to the demon as he was summoned. The rumors and Ryuji seem to make him out as incredibly powerful but he didn’t feel outlandishly strong to her. Perhaps that meant Ryuji was in no danger of being corrupted.

Akira caught her confused expression and smirked, “Not what you were expecting?”

Ann winced as she was caught. “Sorry… It’s just… you don’t feel as strong as the rumors say you are.”

“Huh?” Ryuji said, thoughtful. “Oh yeah, you said you’ll keep most of your power to yourself. But how does that work if we fight together? Oof would I just be in your way when you could just destroy anything in your path? ...That’s not fair to you at all...” Ryuji muttered at the end looking more and more guilt ridden.

Akira’s expression softened into something almost like fondness as he explained, “It's not like that Ryuji, no need to beat yourself up about that. It’s more like locking away most of my power so now I’m only as strong as you can handle. Right now I’m not as strong as you first saw me, I'm more on the level of the demons of your fellow peers.” Akira thought some humans might be bothered by sudden downgrade but he was curious at how Ryuji might react. Ryuji tended to react spectacularly differently than what he expected. It’s one of the things he enjoyed about him since meeting him.

“That means I really am holdin’ you back...” Ryuji seemed to look more guilty but quickly shook his head, shooting a determined look at Akira. “As strong as I can handle, huh? Then I’ll just train my ass off so you won’t have to hold back anymore.” Akira was surprised at the sunny grin Ryuji aimed at him. “Hehe, I could kinda tell you were enjoying yourself when you were showin’ off. I want you to feel as free as you did then. I want ya to be able to let loose to your heart's content.”

“O-oh...” It seemed Akira was struggling on how to respond to that.

“Hmm? What’s the matter? You’re kinda red... Are you sick? Want me to take you to the nurse’s office?”

Ann was worried for a moment when she first met Akira. She was afraid he would use his confidence and charm to take advantage of Ryuji. But seeing him flustered in the face of Ryuji’s pure honesty and thoughtfulness, made her think they’ll be alright.

\---

Ann and Ryuji were chatting away with each other, leaving the two demons alone to quietly discuss some things.

“I find it a little strange that a demon as strong as they say you are would be summoned for a beginner class.” Shiho pointed out.

“I’ve seen those summoning circles, but the one for Ryuji did not feel like the others that opened before his turn.” Akira frowned. “I hate to think of what might’ve happened if I didn’t sense Ryuji’s will of rebellion and chose to pass through the summoning circle.”

“You think someone might have sabotaged Ryuji’s summoning? If another high level demon came out and didn’t acknowledge him, he could have gotten injured or worse.”

After a moment, Shiho admitted quietly. “...I think it might be Kamoshida.” 

“The one Ryuji called a pervert?”

“Yes… He’d make unwanted advances to some of the female students, he especially had his eyes on Ann. No one would or could step in because they had no hope of going against a demon as powerful as Kamoshida’s.

“Ann had to deal with that and I couldn’t do anything, I felt so helpless... But Ryuji would find ways to get in his way to stop him even when it just lands him in trouble. I never told him but I’m really grateful to him for helping Ann. I think that’s why Kamoshida has a certain... disdain for him. But to resort to a potentially dangerous sabotage...?”

“Hmm.” Akira hummed to himself as he turned to stare at his partner, but didn’t offer anything more.

Shiho observed him for a moment then smiled to herself. She didn’t know this demon for long but she had a feeling he’d do whatever he could to protect Ryuji.

* * *

Kamoshida was stomping around his office room at Shijin, grumbling and cursing to himself. He messed with the summoning circle so Sakamoto might get hurt and scared off from trying to be a Demon Partner. “How dare Sakamoto make a pact with such a powerful demon!? I’m supposed to be the star of Shujin! Me! And me alone!” 

His demon, Asmodeus, stood off to the side looking regal and kingly, not interfering in his partner’s fit of rage. It was interesting seeing Kamoshida change after he was summoned. Asmodeus’ power level garnered much attention for him and the school. His lust for power and fame over the school and its students grew wildly soon after. Asmodeus wanted to see how far it would take him.

“I won’t be outdone by some trash like him! Asmodeus! There has to be a way for me to get stronger! I don’t care what I have to do.” He missed the strange glint in his demon’s eyes as the demon prepared to push more power into him, much more than the foolish human was able to handle. Kamoshida didn’t notice as his form became larger and more inhuman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking Asmodeus kinda looked like his Persona 5 boss but more human looking? Kinda like the opposite side of a spectrum (with Kamoshida on one end Asmodeus on the other and the boss in the middle), like he still has horns and other features from the boss but smaller so when his power corrupts Kamoshida, he ends up as the boss. Not sure how to explain it =w="
> 
> Also Akira appearance is like a combination of Arsene and Joker with some extra stuff, wanted to think of the same with Shiho, like mix her up with a persona but not sure which one (/w \\)

**Author's Note:**

> Might write more if inspiration strikes, had an idea where some partners would be Ann with Demon!Shiho (or other way around), Futaba with Demon!Yusuke


End file.
